Cranberry Orange Jam: A Simple Staple for the Holiday Season

This cranberry orange jam will become a Thanksgiving staple in your home. So easy to make but full of flavor – perfect to give as a hostess gift and for all those delicious sandwiches the next day!

Cranberry Orange Jam – The Perfect Holiday Gift

With the gift giving season upon us, this cranberry orange jam serves as a simple but sumptuous host/hostess gift or wonderful side dish for your holiday buffet.

When I first prepared this jam, I looked up several recipes and as usual, reduced the sugar a bit and added my “secret” Mexican orange liqueur called 43. Any orange liqueur will do or none at all is ok as well. You thicken the jam with the natural pectin from a shredded apple. Shredding that apple is the most time-consuming part of this refrigerator jam recipe – it’s so easy!

Cranberry Jam with Orange is naturally thickened with the grated apple.

The jam is outstanding as a spread on a turkey sandwich, a tangy tart addition to a holiday brunch buffet, or a wonderful surprise bite inside a mini corn muffin. Use any cornbread recipe, fill each muffin tin halfway, add a dab of the jam and fill the rest of the way. Bake as usual. Doesn’t that sound yummy?

How to Make Cranberry Orange Jam

Rinse off your cranberries and put them in your medium saucepan.

Zest and juice the orange and add them to the cranberries in the pan.

Add the sugar.

Grate the apple and add it to the pot as well

Give it all a mix and bring it to a boil on medium high. Once boiling, turn it down to medium or medium low. Keep it at a low boil and you’ll hear the cranberries start to pop.

About 10 minutes in, add in your orange liqueur if using it. This is also a good time to take a masher and squish some of the berries further. I leave lots of texture but like to smooth it out a bit.

At about 15 minutes in, I turn it off, let it cool for a bit, then put it in jars and refrigerate. Remember this is not a recipe for canning. Just refrigerate or even freeze the jam for later use.

41 Responses to Cranberry Orange Jam: A Simple Staple for the Holiday Season

Great minds think alike – just posted my cranberry chutney this morning – LOL. Enjoy the season, Beth. X0 Liz ps Nice that you can freeze this – cranberries live in my freezer most of the year. Why not jam?

It’s still cranberry season at my house too! As with most seasonal produce I hold on until it has vanished from the stores and markets. The festive red berry is a perfect companion for the Christmas holiday. And Cranberry Orange Jam sounds marvelous!

Hi again Janell, I talked to Cathy Barrow – she said it is both method and ingredients so it is not as simple as just upping the sugar. She macerates her fruit overnight as well. If you want to preserve, start with a recipe that is made for that – here is one option though a little different you could modify it to be cranberry orange: http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014422/cranberry-raspberry-pecan-conserve.html

I don’t know if you saw this response Brenda so I am posting it again: Wow – Brenda – sorry for the delay in responding – for some reason I didn’t get the notice that I had a new comment on this post. So sorry! I am not an expert in preservation unfortunately. I would start with a recipe that is meant to be preserved from someone like Cathy Barrow (Mrs. WheelBarrow’s Kitchen), Marisa McClellan (Food in Jars), or Emily Paster (West of the Loop).

Wow – Brenda – sorry for the delay in responding – for some reason I didn’t get the notice that I had a new comment on this post. So sorry! I am not an expert in preservation unfortunately. I would start with a recipe that is meant to be preserved from someone like Cathy Barrow (Mrs. WheelBarrow’s Kitchen), Marisa McClellan (Food in Jars), or Emily Paster (West of the Loop).

Sorry for the delay in responding Gayla! – for some reason I didn’t get the notice that I had a new comment on this post. So sorry! I am not an expert in preservation unfortunately. I would start with a recipe that is meant to be preserved from someone like Cathy Barrow (Mrs. WheelBarrow’s Kitchen), Marisa McClellan (Food in Jars), or Emily Paster (West of the Loop). I know amount of sugar and temp of boiling is really important if you plan to preserve.

Just made a batch of this – amazed at how easy it was to put together and how lovely and festive it looks in the jars. What a lovely “hostess gift” to take along to holiday gatherings. Thanks for this lovely recipe!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

[…] replaced our traditional currants with dried cranberries in the filling, and used a combination of homemade cranberry jam and a purchased citrus marmalade to replace what is usually apricot jam spread on both the interior […]